Aneta Bartos's voyeuristic lens

The NY photographer reveals an intimate and sometimes unsettling side to human nature

Originally from Poland, a 16-year-old Aneta Bartos moved to Brooklyn without speaking a word of English. Embracing the language barrier, she took photography classes in a local high school before venturing into fashion. Since then she has returned to her first love of art photography. Her images are intimate and alluring, revealing a darker, more sensual side of human nature. Presenting the male body in a vulnerable light, her project 'Boys' was initially created as inspired by the female gaze. "The notion seemed to have a very weak standpoint and is often viewed as unexplored and controversial. I tried to challenge what is visually and expressively accepted as beauty in male condition, especially when the sexuality is owned by a female perspective."

"After few years of shooting fashion, I started to feel limited in my artistic expression. I wanted to have the freedom and experience more intimate and personal reflections without any boundaries. Voyeurism in my work falls much deeper than its principal characteristic. I am rather exploring myself through others in a hope to experience and learn something new.

I love the painterly quality [of Polaroids] and its process. Each image develops in my hands for about a minute and a half after the exposure, and I am always full of anticipation and excitement to peal off that protective layer to uncover its creation...

I'm not a stranger to using myself for my own creations. However, a challenge was to pose and make myself available and vulnerable to the other females in the [4 Sale] collaboration. Even after the project, I still remain uncomfortable in front of someone else's lens."